Moistening device for gummed labels or the like



1966 J. E. GUERNSEY ETAL 3,282,246

MOISTENING DEVICE FOR GUMMED LABELS OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 27, 1964 INVENTORS- JAMES E. GUERNSEY EDWARD J. SHLOSSER BY ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,282,246 MDISTENING DEVICE FOR GUMMED LABELS OR THE LIKE James E. Guernsey and Edward J. Shlosser, Springfield,

Mass., assignors to James E. Guernsey and Edward J.

Shlosser, doing business as .I. & E. Mfg. Co.

Filed Jan. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 340,255 1 Claim. (Cl. 118264) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in devices for moistening the gummed surfaces of adhesive stamps, labels and like gummed articles (all hereinafter termed labels) and preparing same for delivery or discharge from said devices as moistened labels ready for application to paper or like materials.

One object hereof is to provide a simple, inexpensive, effective and serviceable mechanism for such purpose wherein the pad which supplies the moistening liquid may be continuously fed with the liquid from a liquid-containing reservoir formed of metal or other suitable material.

A further object is to provide a device of the character delineated which incorporates a pivotally-mounted pressure member or paddle which maintains the label in operative position against the moistening member while it is drawn across the latter and which additionally serves to lift the so-moistened label from the moistening member as the pressure member or paddle is again drawn thereacross in a reverse or retrograde direction.

Still another object is to provide a combination of cooperant parts so interrelated as to permit ready and free access to all components when and as necessity may dictate.

The invention particularly comprehends the use of same in connection with the moistening of so-called trading stamps preliminary to the mounting of same in stamp books.

The foregoing and other objects will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood and may be accomplished by the construction, combination and arrangement of parts such as is disclosed by the drawing. The nature of the invention is such as to render it susceptible to various changes and modifications, and accordingly, we are not to be limited to the construction disclosed by the drawing nor to the particular parts described in the specification, but are entitled to all such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a view in top plan of the moistening device of our invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the moistening device of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view in large scale section taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1, with the pressure member or paddle omitted for purposes of clarity.

The numeral generally designates the preferred embodiment which comprises preferably, although not necessarily, a generally rectangular metal or other suitable material liquid-containing tray having a bottom wall 12 and vertically-extending opposite side walls and opposite end walls preferably unitary with bottom wall 12 and generally upstanding therefrom at opposite sides and ends thereof respectively to define at their respective upper edges a marginal top enclosing a rectangular opening 15 so as to allow a tight receptacle for holding therewithin a quota of water or other moistening fluid material.

Each side and end wall comprises a lower portion 14 extending upwardly from the respective edge of bottom wall 12 and having on its inboard side an inwardly-facing lower pad recess along the entirety of its length, said pad recess being defined by a lower wall 16 coplanar with the plane of the upper planar surface 18 of bottom wall 12 and an upper wall 20 spaced upwardly from lower wall 16 and being inclined upwardly away from the mouth of the recess, said lower wall 16 and upper wall 20 being interconnected by a vertically-extending rearward recess wall 22. The lower pad recesses of the opposite side and end walls are interconnected and communicate with each other so as to provide a continuous lower pad recess around the tray.

Additionally, each side and end wall includes an upper portion 24 extending upwardly from its respective lower portion and vertically-spaced outwardly thereof so as to be slightly offset relative thereto, as shown.

The upper portion of each end wall may be slightly dished as at 26 so as to allow easier access to the tray interior.

The inboard side of the upper portion of each of the side walls is provided with an inwardly-facing upper pressure bar recess or guide or channel along the major portion of its length, said pressure bar recess or guide or channel being defined by a lower wall 28 coplanar with and vertically upwardly of lower wall 16 of the respective lower pad recess, and an upper wall 30 spaced upwardly of and coplanar with said lower wall 28, lower wall 28 and upper wall 30 being interconnected by a verticallyextending rearward recess wall 32 disposed in a vertical plane spaced slightly outboard of the vertical plane of wall 22 of the lower pad recess.

A moisture absorbing and retaining padlike member which may be comprised of an uppermost covering member and a lowermost core member 42 or may be otherwise constituted is of suitable length and width and of :a thickness slightly in excess of the height of the lower pad recess at the mouth thereof.

The covering member 40 may be of an appropriate material, such as cloth, or equivalent, and the core member 42 may be of any appropriate fibrous absorbent material of adequate porosity, such as felt or equivalent, to adequately mechanically absorb and retain a quantity of fluid to keep the pad in a moist condition to apply moisture to the surface of the materials to be placed upon the upper planar surface of covering member 40.

Said pad is disposed within the tray upon the upper planar surface 18 of bottom wall 12 thereof so as to allow its opposite sides and ends to be forced, under pressure, into the respective adjacent lower pad recess there to be frictionally engaged by the walls thereof. The upper wall 20 of said pad recess being inclined, allowance is made for the gripping of the pad by a knifelike edge provided .by the jointure of the inclined Wall and the vertically-disposed inboard face of the lower portion of the respective side or end wall.

Thus the walls of the recess will exert .a desired frictional retarding or tensioning action in connection with the pad while simultaneously maintaining the accurate alignment of the pad with respect to the tray.

As an alternative method of forming the tray, the upper and lower portions, 24 and 14 respectively, may be formed separately in which instance the lower portion would be so configured as to allow a well into which the padlike member could be disposed preliminary to the placement of the upper portion upon the lower portion and sealing or welding same thereto. In this case, the upper portion would include that section of the lower portion which is now defined as that area vertically upwardly of upper wall 20 so that when the two portions were brought into position for the sealing or welding into a unitary structure, same would be accomplished under a pressure suificient to insure the clamped engagement of the padlike member within the defined lower pad recess.

A pressure bar or paddle is constituted by a main body portion of a width such as to be receivable between the inwardly-facing walls of the upper portions of the opposite side walls and by pivot arms or trunnions 52 extending outwardly therefrom at opposite ends thereof, which pivot arms or trunnions are loosely receivable in the respective upper pressure bar recess so as to allow a pressure means extending across the tray from one side to the other which will be pivotally mounted relative thereto and will be spaced slightly upwardly of the moistening pad.

Manipulation of the pressure bar by manual engagement of a hand engaging portion 54 thereof will allow the pressure bar to be rotated or pivoted upon pivot arms 52 so that a knife-like leading edge 56 of the pressure bar may be caused as desired to be depressed toward the pad so as ,to bear thereagainst or to bear upon a label L disposed upon the pad.

The pressure bar while being loosely received within the upper pressure bar recesses on the opposite sides of the tray, is nonetheless so related thereto as to be maintained with a reasonable degree of alignment relative to the main longitudinal axis of the tray in the desired avoidance of an excess of what may be crudely defined as sloppiness or free play.

The aforementioned space between pressure bar and pad makes it possible readily to insert the label under the pressure bar or paddle and thereafter to draw the latter thereover in the direction of arrow 11 in FIG. 1 so as to moisten same, this after the tray has been filled with a quota of fluid so as to condition the pad for operational use, said pad being normally saturated with the fluid but not to the extent that it is submerged in the fluid.

The desired tensioning of pressure bar upon label and pad will be manually effectuated and maintained by the operator during use and may be readily adjusted from time to time as necessity dictates, all according to a skill which will be quickly acquired.

The angle at which the pressure bar is disposed will be found to be critical with respect to different types of labels and the adhesive thereon employed, the degree of moisture content within the pad, and conditions of humidity or atomsphere.

As explained, the angle between the pressure bar and the pad is critical for the best feeding action with a particular label under given conditions. The correct adjustment can be instantly made by moving the knob 54. It is also found desirable for the operator to be able to control the pressure during the downward or retrograde movements, and the operating handle is shaped to allow for this.

The effective angle can be found as the pressure bar is tilted backwardly or forwardly from the 45 position relatively to the pad.

Said pressure bar will be slideable relative to the tray from end to end thereof with the pivot arms or trunnions being slideable along and within their respective upper pressure 'bar recesses.

After moistening the label by moving the pressure bar in one direction, the knife-like leading edge 56 thereof is inserted under the adjacent lower edge of the label and moved in the opposite direction, as indicated by the arrow b in FIG. 1, whereupon the said lower edge of the label d may be raised sufficiently from the pad to offer a free end which may be conveniently grasped by the fingers so that the entire label can be easily stripped or peeled from the pad as the pressure bar is slid in the retrograde direction.

The label, during moistening, will present no problems necessitating its being manually held down, the moisture of the pad being sufiicient to insure the adherance of the label thereto as the pressure bar is motivated in a manner insuring the moistening of the gummed surface uniformly throughout. If it should be necessary, it follows that the label can be manually held against the pad to accomplish the desideratum.

The label or article is thus moistened quickly, easily, cleanly and efliciently and with perfect result. This avoids the obnoxious habit or necessity of licking or moistening the gummed surface by the tongue. A number of labels or gummed articles may be moistened at the same time, since the felt will hold sufficient water for that purpose, and the water will be carried upwardly by capillary attraction, but care must be taken to remoisten the felt from time to time, or when it is not to be used for a time, so that the felt will be submerged in the water for purpose of protection, to prevent the felt from drying, and to allow the gum thereon to be dissolved by the water.

We claim:

A moistening device for gummed labels comprising a tray like receptacle embodying a bottom Wall and upstanding side and end walls unitary therewith and having a continuous lower pad recess along the inner faces of the side and end walls thereof and a pair of upper pressure 'bar recesses along the inner faces of the side walls thereof, a moisture retaining member within said receptacle and gripped within the lower pad recess, a pressure bar normally lying adjacent said moisture retaining member and adapted for manual reciprocation relative to said moisture retaining member and having pivot arms receivable in the pressure bar recesses of said receptacle, said pressure bar including a knife-like leading edge normally bearing on a gummed label resting on said moisture retaining member during moistening of the label, and adapted following moistening of the label for insertion under an edge thereof to lift a portion of the label from the moisture retaining member for removal from the receptacle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 946,963 1/1910 Granger 118253 1,102,721 7/ 1914 Clarke 118269 FOREIGN PATENTS 463,411 12/1913 France. 118,965 9/1906 Germany.

1,502 1/ 1905 Great Britain.

19,953 9/ 1907 Great Britain.

126,439 5/ 1919 Great Britain. 168,423 9/ 1921 Great Britain.

7,408 12/ 1898 Norway.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner. 

